Mitchell Young enters the courtroom of Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Shalina Kumar before the start of his trial in the death of Robert Cipriano on June 19, 2013. The Oakland Press/VAUGHN GURGANIAN

A detective in charge of the initial investigation in the baseball bat beating death of Robert Cipriano recently gave testimony that questioned the demeanor of one of the suspects in the man's death.

Farmington Hills Sgt. Richard Wehby -- a detective at the time of the April 2012 killing of Robert Cipriano -- said that in the days and months following the initial investigation, Mitchell Young, 21, seemed to feign innocence.

During his initial interrogations with Young, Wehby said Young told him Tucker Cipriano, his co-defendant, hit him in the face with a baseball bat.

To Wehby, the story "seemed put on," he said.

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"(Young would) clench his teeth at times, but it seemed to come and go."

Young faces charges that include first-degree premeditated murder, felony murder, two counts of assault with intent to murder and armed robbery in an April 16, 2012, attack on the Cipriano family at their Farmington Hills home. Tucker Cipriano, 20, pleaded no contest to first-degree felony murder June 17 and will spend the rest of his life in prison.

The pair are accused of attacking the Cipriano family with baseball bats after breaking into the family's home. Prosecutors allege that they were smoking K2, or Spice, a synthetic marijuana that has since been banned by the state, before the assaults.

Testimony from seven police officers painted a picture of the events directly after Robert Cipriano's death -- and the severe beating of his wife, Rose, and his son, Salvatore -- and the months following the attack.

Young's attorney, Mike McCarthy, confirmed with most officers that throughout the day that during Young's initial arrest, he offered "no resistance," and that he was cooperative while being questioned.

Assistant Prosecutor John Skrzynski supplied jury members with graphic photos of the bloody crime scene, several shots of the victims once they were admitted to the hospital, and more.

He also retrieved physical evidence -- Mitchell Young's pants, which appeared to be splattered with blood after the incident, according to several officers' testimonies.

A point of contention throughout has been whether Young was hit with a baseball bat by Tucker Cipriano.

On Friday, Wehby recollected his actions throughout the case, starting by his interview with Young at Botsford Hospital.

After checking on Rose and Salvatore Cipriano, both of whom had suffered severe head and brain trauma, he went to a room where Young was held, he said.

Most officers questioned on Friday confirmed, when asked, that Young had requested medical attention during his initial arrest, and he had complained of pain.

"(Young) never made any indication to me, whatsoever, that he was in pain," Wehby said. He "never asked me once to repeat a question."

During Young's account of what happened -- that Tucker had killed his father and had beaten his brother with a baseball bat, and that he, himself, had hit Rose "one or two times" in the head with a baseball bat -- Wehby said Young changed his story several times.

"The story changed ... on who drove to the scene, how they made entry into the residence, bits and pieces that were never mentioned -- their previous two times at the residence, getting the gift card," Wehby said.

Detectives learned that Young and Cipriano had stayed at a friend's house in Keego Harbor. Young told Wehby he was homeless, Wehby said, and had been "bouncing from friend's house to friend's house."

After obtaining a search warrant for the friend's home, detectives searched and found a wallet, a passport, a school identification card, a driver's license and a social security card with Young's name on them in his friend's room. Investigators also found a washcloth, shirt and pair of men's shoes on the floor of the room.

As months passed and the case progressed, Wehby recalled, he had to perform DNA mouth swabs on Young and Cipriano, as well as Rose and Salvatore Cipriano.

As Young was being escorted to the DNA swab at the Farmington Hills Police Department, several media crews were at the courthouse.

"I observed (Young) with his hands clasped ... walking at a very, very slow pace (and) staring at the cameras the entire time, with an upset look on his face, almost as if he was crying ... to the door that led into the secure area," Wehby said.

When Young was brought to the police department for the swab, Wehby explained what was about to happen.

Then "(Young) kind of startled me," Wehby said. "With a smile on his face, he asked me, 'Off the record, how do you think I'm doing? ... Seriously, how do you think it's going?' "

The sergeant said that Young's "180 degree" change in demeanor took him aback.